It is a known fact that apitherapy has been used in medicine for thousands of years, and can be traced back to ancient Egypt, China, Greece and Rome.
Apitherapy is based on products that are made entirely of honey bees, which makes it an invaluable natural resource. These are the products: honey, pollen, royal jelly, propolis, wax, bee venom.
Apitherapy is a type of alternative therapy that is used as an adjunct, but also as a basic treatment for acute and chronic diseases, pain, as well as prevention related to the immune system.
There are many diseases in which apitherapy can have an extremely beneficial effect. This includes even multiple sclerosis.
Apitherapy has a strong influence in the presence of: arthritis, infections, shingles, wounds (internal and external), pain, burns, tendonitis, rheumatoid arthritis, immune and neurological conditions, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, lupus, anemia, hypovitaminosis and many others.
Types of bee products
Different types of bee products have different applications. They can be administered topically or by direct injection into the blood.
Honey
Quality honey can be recognized by the fact that it forms fine crystals and is easily candied. The benefits of its regular intake are innumerable, due to its individual ingredients and their complex therapeutic effect.
Honey increases the body’s immune defenses and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal effects. Here is how honey affects the human body: expectorant, hematopoietic, detoxifying, regenerative, analgesic, cardiotonic, tonic, laxative, neurotonic.
Honey is a source of easily digestible carbohydrates and quickly released energy. It has a proven effect with daily use on the secretion of the stomach and intestines, with altered acidity and motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract.
Due to the antibacterial action of honey, it is often used to treat gastritis, diseases of the respiratory system, as well as inflammatory diseases of the skin and mucous membranes and liver.
Honey has long been used topically to treat wounds – including both open cuts and burns – due to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Today’s research supports this. It has been established that medical dressings containing honey are effective in healing wounds while reducing the risk of infection.
Honey helps with allergies
It turns out that the local honey from wild flowers can help treat allergies in several ways. Honey can soothe sore throats caused by allergies and act as a natural cough suppressant. Wild flower honey can also protect people from allergies. This is because local wildflower honey may also contain traces of pollen, a known allergen. Consuming local honey can slowly introduce this allergen into the body, potentially building immunity to it.
Floral pollen
Bee pollen is the male reproductive material that bees collect from plants and is a natural source of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, hormones and proteins that are easily absorbed by the body and help its growth and development. It also stimulates gastric secretion due to its content of enzymes. Bee pollen is also rich in selenium, lecithin and rutin. This makes it an excellent helper for the body’s fat metabolism, immune system, digestion and small blood vessels. In Chinese folk medicine it is used as a natural source of energy for the body.
The combination of pollen with propolis is particularly favorable.
Propolis – Glutinous tincture
Propolis, also called glue, is produced by bees, which obtain it from a substance released from the young buds of some plants. It is a combination of beeswax, wood resins, honey and enzymes made by bees to protect the hive from external threats such as bacteria or viruses. Its color is yellow-green or even gray and dissolves best in alcohol.
The properties of gluten tincture that directly affect the human body are: immunostimulating, antiviral, disinfectant, analgesic, antimicrobial, antifungal, antibiotic, radiation and antifungal. It is usually used in the form of 30% alcohol extract.
Its application has a wide range of action, both for prophylactic and for therapeutic and restorative purposes, depending on the method of administration.
Here are some of the diseases in which it has a proven effect:
Canker sores, runny nose, sore throat, gastritis, ulcer (gastric and duodenal), colitis, burns and cuts, radiation injuries. It has a balancing effect on blood cholesterol levels and increases the number of red blood cells.
Royal jelly
Royal jelly is a type of secretion produced by bees that supports the growth of young bees and the queen bee. This is a natural product with an exceptional effect on health, which contains a large number of useful vitamins (A, B-complex, B5, B6, C, D, E), proteins and enzymes, eighteen types of amino acids, carbohydrates and mineral salts. This makes it a product of high nutritional and biological value.
Royal jelly is used as a dietary supplement that has a beneficial and stimulating effect on: appetite, metabolism, immune system, the functions of the endocrine glands, hematopoiesis, and slows down the aging process.
Its combination with another bee product allows royal jelly to first enhance its exceptional healing properties, but also to preserve them for a longer time.
Bee poison
Bee venom therapy has been used in ancient Greece to relieve the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. This is due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Studies show that bee venom can actually reduce swelling, pain and stiffness in people with rheumatoid arthritis. One study even found that taking it could reduce the need to use traditional medicines and at the same time reduce the risk of relapse. Bee venom is produced by worker bees.
Beeswax
Bees create beeswax to build their hive and store both honey and pollen. It is often used in medicine in addition to cosmetics, plasters and more.
Are there any side effects or potential risks?
Different methods of apitherapy pose different risks.
For people allergic to bee products, all methods of apitherapy can be dangerous. Bee venom can cause a histamine response. Allergies to bee products have a small percentage of the population and yet, before taking, we must first make sure that we do not fall into this group.
Sources used:
My practice – Dr. Atanas Mihailov